amdx2

I made a post in vid card support about an issue with decreased performance, and after showing my voltages i was told it was because of a lacking power supply, mint put out 16a so my system was underpowered. The perfmance issues were solved when i reformated, but just to be safe I got a new power supply, instead of the 450w with 16a i got a 500w with 16 and 18a dual rails, but with speedfan im getting the same ridiculously low results, i'm trying to power a 8500GT, a 2.4 Athlon X2 4600, 2 gigs of DDR 800, 2 fans, 2 HDs and a DVD drive.
the voltages i get and http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16817148027 psu =\

Tumbleweed36

A couple of thoughts for you to ponder:

First of all, is it working O.K. right now? What I am saying, is that Speedfan is dependent upon the motherboard sensors and they are not always accurate, so if it is performing fine, then I would not worry about that part of it. Therefore, if it isn't broken except for that reading, then use it until it is broken.

The second thought that I had, is that Apevia is a terribly weak power supply. They don't put out nearly what they say they do. To be quite frank (sorry, to have to give you the bad news), you won't find a DECENT 500 watt power supply for less than $50 to $70, so when you paid $24.99 after MIR, you got exactly what you paid for....a weak power supply. I don't know that this is the issue, but hang on to your seat, because if not now, eventually the Apevia will take you for a good ride with problems IMHO.

Another thought, download and run SensorviewPro and see what readings it gives you.

Post back with questions/concerns.

manic

Your still sucking when it comes to power. You get what you pay
for.

amdx2

Same readings..I guess it still does suck,where could I get one for 50$ without another 15$ on s&h? And by suck do you mean I cant upgrade well or is this affecting my potential performance? I was just looking at 12a output this time and thought I was okay, how does haiving this PSU affect my overall PC performance?

Tumbleweed36

I haven't had a chance to look much, but here is the deal of the week IMHO:

The one listed below is a great power supply and on sale with free shipping. You might want to send the one you just purchased back and give this one a try. NewEgg is great at doing that kind of thing on exchanges. Do remember, to get this price, you have to have a mail in rebate..

Antec Neo Power 500 500W Power Supply -
$49.99 after mail in rebate

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817103940

As time permits, I will browse around and see what else is out there and if I find a better deal, will let you know.

Please remember, there is no way to know if this will solve your problem, because your motherboard sensor could be giving you a wrong report, but you do need a good power supply in that rig in my opinion. A 500 watt power supply will do the job for you, but this won't give you a bunch of upgrade room.

amdx2

Yea, but the whole thing is i just want something that will power my system correctly and hold me over, ill get one with room for upgrade when my time and money permits..what brands should i look for, and what should i look for other than the 12v?

Tumbleweed36

These are excellent and well-respected power supplies:

Antec Trio Models
Antec Neo HE Models
Antec Earthwatts Models

Seasonic - Most models

PC Power & Cooling - Most models

Silverstone - Most models

Thermaltake - Toughpower Series only

Corsair - Most models

Coolermaster - Real Power Pro series only

These are the ones I recommend and use in my business. They are all excellent and will give you good service.

If you find one that you have particular questions about, post it here before you purchase and any of the members who have the Hardware Tech Team Banner in their signature area can give you advice about the quality of the supply. All members of the Hardware Team are very well versed in quality power supplies.

Hope that helps.

Jebtall

You can't rely on software to give you an accurate reading of the voltage rails from your PSU. The only good way is to use a multimeter.

If you have, or can borrow, a multimeter check the 3.3V rail with the computer running. The 3.3V rail is a little bit more tricky to measure than the 12V or 5V which both are on the 4 pin molex connectors. The 3.3V is typically on the red wires and also feeds most 3 pin fan connectors. So what I have done is temporarily disconnect a case fan and check the voltages at the mobo connector, just be careful you don't slip and short something. If your multimeter has a fine tip probe you can check the 3.3V at the SATA power connector as well, look up the pin out on Google.

I would bet your 3.3V is pretty close to 3.3V if you measure it with a multimeter. The readings don't need to be exact.

If your 3.3V is good, I think the Apevia PSU will probably do just fine for a while until you have the funds to get something with a bit more power.

amdx2

You lost me..I was figuring it would be a software problem..since i got the same results on a clearly upgraded power supply, so how do i check the real voltages if its a mb problem with any type of software if possible? How do i know if the systems being powered correctly?

Jebtall

I wasn't saying you have a PSU problem or that it was your problem, I was just saying that you shouldn't believe software that reports voltage levels. Your Speedfan results showed a low 3.3V reading and I wanted to let you know that your PSU is probably putting out 3.3V and you don't have to rush out to get a new PSU, especially if you don't have the funds to get a new one.

My post tells you how to check for proper voltage levels, also if you do a search on this forum there is a post giving more instructions on doing PSU diagnostics.

The point of my post was to tell you not to trust programs like Everest and Speedfan when it comes to voltage level readings, especially if they are very low. I don't think there was anything wrong with you original PSU that you replaced.

scapedriver

your GPU calls for 20amp or better 12v rail

http://3btech.net/24pinch68atx.html

amdx2

My original one had a 16a output and the min is 28a for PCIe afaik so thats why i upgraded..im gonna look for the post, but if i do need to replace, how does this look? http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817339006

amdx2

Whats wrong with those? the prices are extremely low

Tumbleweed36

In power supplies, you normally get what you pay for. I am sorry to inform you, but both the ACE and Chiefmax are just nothing but junk. There is just no other nice way to put it. However, that is up to you if you wish to gamble on something that might damage your other components, then that is your choice. I just can not in good conscience recommend either of those "so called" power supplies.

amdx2

Trust me I dont want to gamble and thanks for bearing with me. What do I look for exactly when im looking for it to be either junk or a good deal, anything tell tale if they arent the brands you mentioned?

amdx2

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371006 How would this power my system?

scapedriver

This is a better choice over your last choice posted.

amdx2

I see it is, but at the same time he said ACE is bs, i just want something that will power my system effeciently with a low chance of it blowing my precious first rig up, im really broke

speedster123

get Tumbles suggestion or this
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16817371002

amdx2

so the earthwatts wouldnt work? I really couldnt afford that right now..though it looks like a nice choice when i can afford it